Traders affected by Johor's Larkin Market fire to get $1400 each

JOHOR BAHRU - Traders operating the four shops damaged in the Larkin Market fire on Sunday morning will each receive RM5,000 (S$1,400) in aid.

Mr Mohd Hairi Mad Shah, the state youth, sports, entrepreneur development, cooperatives and human resources committee chairman, said that this is to ease the burden of the affected businesses.

“The state government will help the four traders through the Johor Entrepreneur Corporation (PUJB) and other agencies under my portfolio either by giving grants or loans,” said Mr Mohd Hairi.

“As a start, we will be giving each of them RM5,000 to boost their morale after facing such a tragedy,” he said at a press conference after visiting the market.

He added that the Fire and Rescue Department is still investigating the value of the losses suffered due to the fire.

“We are however grateful that no one was injured during the incident. I am also thankful to the Fire and Rescue Department for reaching the site within four minutes and being able to contain the fire before it spread further,” he said.

The Larkin Market – better known as Pasar Awam Larkin – is attached to the Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal.

Mr Mohd Hairi, who is also the Larkin assemblyman, said that Larkin Sentral will be operating as usual and that only the area around the fire will be closed.

“Bus operations and other activities will go on as usual. We only closed the four shops and the area around it so that the Fire and Rescue Department can carry out their investigation,” he said, adding that there are over 600 shops in the building.

It was earlier reported that four shops at the Larkin Market were destroyed by a fire that broke out on early Sunday morning.

Larkin Fire and Rescue department operation commander Mohd Faiz Suleiman said 27 firemen were deployed to the scene after the department received a call at about 6.50am.

“Two book stores were about 90 per cent damaged by the fire. The fire also razed a shop selling cosmetics and herbs, which was 70 per cent damaged and a perfume shop, which suffered 10 per cent damage,” he said in an earlier statement. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK